The Most Expensive Wines from California

I’m often asked “how much would you spend on a bottle of wine?” It’s one of those questions that I honestly can’t answer. I guess it depends on the wine. I’m not saying that I would easily shell out $500 for a Napa Cabernet, but it probably wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. (I cannot say the same for a $4,000 bottle of the hyped Screaming Eagle, however).

With prices of California wine climbing steadily, it’s almost impossible to find a truly delicious Napa cab that’s priced under $75. Yes, they do exist, but they are few and far between. Most of the wines I drink on a weekly basis are in the $75 – $100 range, and I won’t sugar coat it: my wine drinking habit and hobby is getting pricey.

But what’s even worse is that some of these $700 bottles of wine aren’t worth the money and are all hype. People keep on buying them for the brag factor of simply having them in their cellar, and their resale prices explode on the secondary market. (Seriously, how many of your wine loving friends do you know who’ve actually tried a bottle of the Eagle)?

The team over at Wine-Searcher has put together a list of the 10 most expensive California wines. The usual big name suspects are here, including Harlan Estate, Scarecrow, and Schrader, and those big names come with a big price tag ($500 and up). Rounding out the list are:

Screaming Eagle ($3,044)

Harlan Estate ($895)

Tusk ($868)

Scarecrow ($725)

Schrader ($TBD)

Promontory ($665)

Screaming Eagle Second Flight ($635)

Dana Estates ($620)

Carter Cellars ($571)

Bryant Family Vineyard ($562)

If any representatives from the wineries listed above would like to have The Grape Geeks taste and review their wines or winery, please Contact Us immediately (wishful thinking). In the meantime, check out the in-depth write-up about this top 10 list.